The Toads that Hop
by DragonDweller
Summary: When little toads hop by in the puddle where Rin and Jaken are playing their little games, Rin insists that Jaken is related to the toads in one way or another. The results? ...Pure chaos. Please read and review! I’d appreciate it a lot! :-D One-shot.


A/N: This is just a cute, little one-shot I wrote last night, getting a little fed up with myself about slacking on chapter four of my fanfic (don't worry, I'm getting there! Whoohoo! Lmao. :-D) I hope you have fun reading this, because I sure had a lot of fun writing it! Please read and review! Thanks! :)

Disclaimer: I, DragonDweller, do not own InuYasha in any wayy, especially Rin, Jaken, and Sesshoumaru, who are all the main characters in this story.

**The Toads That Hop**

A one-shot written by DragonDweller. 

A little Rin wandered through the meadow as she pranced around happily. The toad youkai, Jaken, stayed close behind her, being forced to follow her. Rin called this "fun", but Jaken thought otherwise. Sesshoumaru, his eyes closed, deep in thought, sat up in a tall tree. He was just thinking over his usual ponderings. Rin and Jaken paid no attention to his little thoughts at the moment, however. If they knew, they would've cared, but Rin and Jaken (_especially _Rin) were rather preoccupied at the moment.

The sky was blue with wonder on a sunny, afternoon day. The birds were singing, the grass was swaying, and a cool river ran along, spreading out farther and farther into the distance. Rin had been playing a game earlier, guessing how long the river went. She decided that it probably went all the way through five towns, but Jaken disagreed. He was certain that it would probably only go through _two _towns. Rin had just shrugged and skipped along, hopping around and occasionally throwing flat rocks into the river, trying to skip them.

Later on, Rin and the toad played a little game that Rin liked to call "saving the princess". Someone was the princess, and the other one was the rescuer. The princess would be holding onto the rescuer's hands, the rest of her body flowing into the water, being carried away, and the rescuer would have to try and pull the princess out of the water. Rin, again, called this "fun", but Jaken shook his head. Knowing that he would have to play this little game, the toad had told Rin to slide herself into the water, but Rin looked confused.

_"Um…YOU'RE the princess, Jaken-sama!" _she had told him. With that, Rin had fallen over laughing, while Jaken stood there, totally, completely, and utterly confused. After Rin had wiped away her tears of laughter, she plopped Jaken into the water, still holding onto this hands.

Jaken, of course, being the idiot he was, accidentally let go of Rin's hands and floated down stream. Rin had to go and disturb Sesshoumaru so he could go and save Jaken. Sesshoumaru, of course, thought of this as a "waste of time". Rin was confused because he said these words yet had a spark of amusement in his voice. He saved Jaken from the river's clutches, luckily, and brought him back to Rin. Rin hugged Jaken happily and the two of them went on with their little games.

The duo played a number of other games, including hopscotch, leap frog, tag, hide-and-go-seek, and even a game where Rin pretended to be Sesshoumaru and Jaken had to do whatever she said (Jaken wasn't very happy about this, for while he played this he found that being kicked by a little girl who was pretending to be an Inu taiyoukai wasn't very fun).

In the present feudal era that they lived in, Rin and Jaken lay there in the lush, green grass, staring at the puffy clouds above them.

"Ohhh, look, Jaken-sama!" Rin exclaimed. "That cloud looks like Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"Really?" Jaken said, "I thought it looked more like a little girl on a leash…"

Rin blinked. "Why would a little girl be on a leash?"

"…Never mind…_Foolish human_…"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing…"

"Okay!"

Jaken sighed.

As Rin and Jaken sat there, a cool breeze passing through every now and then, Rin glanced around and saw a small puddle, and a bunch of toads passing through it.

"Jaken-sama! LOOK! TOADS!" she exclaimed, beaming, seizing Jaken's hands and pulling him over to the small puddle.

Jaken mumbled under his breath. Rin, however, ignored this and started to sing a little song to herself.

"Toads, toads, toads! They're not loads, they're not codes, they're not froads, they're TOADS!

"What are froads, Rin?"

"Dunno!"

They watched the toads for a little while. They were all jumping along in the puddle. Rin counted them. There were six. The toads seemed to hop around in circles for a little while.

"You know, Jaken-sama," Rin said, staring at the toads, "these toads are kinda like you!"

"L-like me?!" Jaken said, insulted. "PREPOSTEROUS! These toads look absolutely nothing like ME! Me, a handsome, well-groomed, youkai. These toads, ugly, warty, hairy-"

"_Hairy?!"_

"Yes, hairy! Under their armpits!"

"But Jaken-sama, toads don't _have_ armpits!"

"W-well how do _you _know?!"

"…"

"I didn't _think _so!"

Rin blinked again. "Well, Rin is sure you're related to these toads somehow. You both are green, and you both hop!"

"I do not HOP!"

Sure you do!" Rin imitated Jaken by hopping around, laughing. "Hop, hop, hop!"

"I do not HOP!"

"Hop, hop, hop!"

"I…do not…HOPPPP!"

"Hop, hop, the Jaken-sama hops. Hop, hop, the Jaken-sama hops! He, likes, to secretly hop. Hop, hop, the Jaken-sama hops!"

Stop it! Stop it!" Jaken pleaded, getting down on his knees. Rin blinked.

"Does this mean that you finally believe me that you're related to the little toads?

"Of COURSE not!" Jaken replied angrily.

"Then what do you think?"

"What do you mean what do I think?"

"…What do you think of this whole situation?" Rin said, spreading out a big leaf and setting Jaken on it.

Jaken got onto the leaf and began to cry. "It's…horrible! A little girl is tormenting me, the handsome, loveable toad! She accuses me of being related to the disgusting toads in the little puddle over there, but I swear, I'm not! She just won't listen to me!"

Rin sat there drawing in the ground with a stick. She sighed. "Yes, but how do you _feel _about that?"

Jaken blinked. "Rin," he said suddenly, "what are you drawing?"

"NOTHING!" Rin said suddenly, sitting on her drawing and smiling innocently at Jaken.

"Let me see!" Jaken said, trying to push Rin off of the spot.

"Please, Jaken-sama, really! It's nothing! You wouldn't be very pleased with Rin!"

"In _that _case…this means WAR!" Jaken said, picking up a toad and throwing it at Rin.

"EEEE!" Rin said, grabbing the toad and cradling it. She picked up another one and threw it at Jaken gentfully and playfully, yet still hard enough to anger him.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Rin laughed. "Jaken-sama's afraid of the toaaaadsss! Jaken-sama's afraid of the toaaaadsss!" She danced all around the little puddle.

"Am NOT!" Jaken yelled, throwing the toad at Rin's face.

"SLIMY! SLIMY! EEEEE!" Rin yelled as the toad dropped to the ground. Luckily, the toads that had been thrown were alright and unharmed. Jaken picked up another toad and threw it while spinning around. Unluckily, it flew into Sesshoumaru's direction, who was still sitting in his tree, and smacked him right in the face. The toad hopped away and back to the puddle, making a croaking noise.

There was not a noise or a movement from the Inu taiyoukai.

Rin and Jaken stared at each other.

"O.O…"

"O.O…"

"OHHHHH, SESSHOUMARU-SAMA! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! It wasn't my fault, I swear! PLEASE FORGIVE, FORGIVE! I promise it won't happen again! It was just a mistake, really! Forgive, forggiveeeeeee!"

"You…dare throw a toad at I, Sesshoumaru?" Sesshoumaru said, quietly and slowly getting out of the tree.

Jaken panicked. "Ahhhh! I'm DOOMED! _WE'RE _DOOMED! The earth is DOOMED! Take cover, take COVERR!" Jaken grabbed Rin and dove into the river, holding onto the edge. Only Rin and Jaken's heads stuck out of the body of water as Sesshoumaru drew closer.

Suddenly, Rin jumped out of the river and bounded over to Sesshoumaru with a smile on her face.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin tried to explain to her master, "Jaken-sama and Rin were playing a little game with the toads, but then Jaken-sama accidentally threw a toad at you! We didn't mean anything by it…" Rin bowed to the Inu taiyoukai. "Please…forgive Jaken-sama for his wrongful doings!"

"_MY _wrongful doings?! _You're _the one who says that I'M RELATED TO THE STUPID LITTLE TOADS IN THE POND! You ungrateful HUMAN!" Jaken hopped out of the river.

Sesshoumaru sighed, picked up a toad, and threw it at Jaken so hard, that he flew up into the air and landed right back into the river, floating away.

Rin blinked. "Sesshoumaru-sama…will Jaken-sama be okay?" she asked him.

"I am not sure, Rin," Sesshoumaru replied, watching Jaken float down stream. "Only time will tell."

"Well…okay! As long as he doesn't get hurt!"

"…"

"O.o… JAKEN-SAMA! JAKEN-SAMA! WAAAIIIT!" Rin said, running downstream to get Jaken.

"…"

Sesshoumaru moved back into his tree as Rin scurried off.

A little while later, about ten minutes, maybe, Rin came back with a panting, scared-to-death Jaken. He was wide-eyed. The both of them were soaking wet.

"Th-thank you, y-you foolish human," Jaken managed to say, taking a huge gulp of air after saying this.

"You're welcome!" Rin replied happily, dragging Jaken through the mud.

"ARGH!"

"But toads _like _mud, Jaken-sama!"

"Are you sure?"

"…Not really!"

Once the two of them got through the mud, they returned to the spot where the toads had been. Staring at the puddle, Rin realized that the six little toads were gone. They had probably hopped away, on with their little journey.

"Awww," Rin sighed, "they're gone…"

_YES!, _Jaken thought to himself, _YES, YES, YESSSS!_

"Um, Rin," Jaken said, dwindling his fingers, "can I see that picture of yours, now?"

"Of course you can, Jaken-sama! Anything for a friend of Rin's!"

Jaken was a bit surprised that Rin was going to let him see the picture now, but shrugged and followed Rin as she took him to the spot where she drew the picture.

"Here it is!" Rin said, pointing to the drawing she had made by engraving it into the mud with a stick. She smiled happily.

Jaken looked at the picture and was very surprised at what he saw: there, in the ground, was a picture of him and Rin, Rin holding onto Jaken's hand and giving him a flower. They were both smiling, and there were little toads hopping in the background.

Jaken had expected something childish about their little argument, but Jaken guessed that this picture was a symbolistic way of Rin's forgiving feelings towards him. Jaken almost smiled, but held it back.

Rin _did _smile.

"Hold on," she mumbled, running into the bushes for a moment. A few seconds later she ran out, holding out a beautiful, purple flower. She smiled even bigger and held it out to Jaken.

"For you, Jaken-sama!" she said merrily, beaming at the toad.

"Me?" Jaken said in a confused way.

"Yeah, you! You always play with Rin. All sorts of games! It's fun! Appreciation gift, also forgiving gift, from Rin! With love!" Rin was still holding the flower out to Jaken.

He suddenly took it and nodded. "Thank you, Rin…"

Rin nodded to Jaken and wandered off into what was the sunset, now, singing her little "loads, codes, froads" song. Jaken sighed.

Rin…after all we fought and all I said to you…you're still forgiving me… 

Jaken trotted over to Rin, but didn't tell her his thoughts. He decided that if he told her about it, it would ruin Rin's thoughtfulness. He just stood there next to the one who dragged him along everywhere and watched her play her little games alone, now.

_Kehkehkehkehkeh…she's giving me a break! Whoohoo!_

From the sunset and down, Jaken watched Rin and held the flower tight. Happy that Rin was as forgiving as she was, though he was still certain that he was NOT related to those foul and ordinary toads in any way, Jaken sat next to the river, silently watching Rin.

Sesshoumaru blinked. He had watched the whole thing from his tree. He nearly laughed and shook his head.

"Rin," he said under his breath, "even I don't know how you do it…"

The End.

A/N: Thanks for reading! :) Please review and tell me what you thought of this little one-shot! I'd really, really, really appreciate it! Thank you! :)


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